A collaboration of the Department of Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies and the Honors Program

By: Nic Arp | 2012.10.16 | 03:41 pm

Before the highly anticipated Hancher presentation of It Gets Better by the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Choir, the public is invited to join students and faculty for a lecture and discussion on the University of Iowa campus.

The event will take place Friday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in E105 Adler Journalism Building, immediately preceding the It Gets Better performance at 7:30 p.m. in the Main Lounge of the Iowa Memorial Union. It is free and open to the public.

The discussion and lecture will be an opportunity for students and other community members to engage in the issues surrounding the It Gets Better movement and to learn about students’ research on related topics.

The event will be guided by Professor Ellen Lewin, who holds a joint appointment in the UI Departments of Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies and Anthropology, and Assistant Professor Isaac West of the Department of Communication Studies. Both faculty members have published widely on gay and lesbian rights, experiences, and campaigns.

In 2010, columnist and author Dan Savage created a YouTube video to inspire hope for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered youth facing harassment. A year later, It Gets Better had grown into a global movement. The live performance shares the movement’s message, a response to bullying delivered through the dynamic musical energy of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, as well as the incorporation of local guests and digital media.